12 Best Game of Thrones Ships, Real and Imagined

When I was a teenager, I funneled most of my waking energy into being accepted by my peers and considered 'cool.' Now that I'm 25, two kids in, and spending my weekends playing Dungeons and Dragons with my brothers and my husband, I've accepted that I was never cool. This self-aware liberation is what allows me to bring you this particular piece on the best real and imagined ships of Game of Thrones as of Season 7, Episode 6.

1. Brienne of Tarth and Tormund

I think, at this point, that this is the most supported ship of the entire damn show. Tormund's shameless flirtations towards her back in Winterfell were glorious and seemed to confuse more than offend which seems almost like positive feedback. Tormund is also about as far from Jaime Lannister as you can get, and he seems to appreciate Brienne for absolutely everything she is. On top of that, he's already making plans for the future: "I want to make babies with her. Think of them: great big monsters. They'd conquer the world." I mean, come on. What girl doesn't love a guy who thinks ahead?

2. Sansa and Missandei

This one doesn't have to necessarily be a romance, but you have to admit that it would be amazing to see these two women team up. They're both so egregiously underestimated, clearly sharp as hell and more than capable – I don't care what anyone says, I'm still standing firm that Sansa is fully aware of Littlefinger's general Littlefinger-ness and is playing him rather than the reverse. And Missandei is one of Daenerys' chief advisors and you just know she could advise the hell out of Sansa.

Plus, they're both crazy hot. I wanna see 'em touch butts.

3. Tyrion and Daenerys

Okay so I doubt this one would garner as much support as the likes of Tormund and Brienne, but I kind of love how they serve as foils for one another. Granted, I was all up in arms whenever Jorah was putting moves on Daenerys since what would Khal Drogo think, but Tyrion is one of the few people who can talk her down from her moments of hot-headed vengeance and bring her back into herself. Plus, he deserves a pure love, dammit. We all know that when Daenerys loves, she loves hard, and Tyrion needs that after Shae.

4. Jon Snow and Ygritte

The OG romance that dragged me into the beautiful misery that is this show, Jon and Ygritte can't be left off the list. Remember Jon Snow's sheepish-yet-smitten smiles as Ygritte teased him for being pretty and preferring proper ladies who screamed at the sight of spiders -? You know what, let's just watch the gifset again, since this is the internet and we can.

It was the ultimate forbidden love story and the single reason I initially put up with the horrifying grossness of the rest of the show. When she was murdered by a kid in the middle of some intense eye contact with Jon, I both died inside and felt reborn again, since maximum tragedy is the best sort of romance. And as we know, they're engaged in real life, so freaking kill me already.

5. Jon Snow and Missandei

This one is mainly because they're both super hot and I want to watch them kiss and also touch butts.

6. Jon Snow and literally anyone in Westeros except for Daenerys

Look, I know that they're basically guaranteed to get together at this point. The writers have done nothing but guide us in this direction since midway through this season, and the fact that Daenerys repeated like forty times how she was barren last episode essentially tells us that Jon Snow is going to knock her up on the first try.

I get it; they understand each other, they would be a great alliance, Targaryen blood, blah blah blah. But I just can't get on board. It's not even the incest that's turning me off (although it probably should be). I just want Jon and Daenerys to have each other as family, non-romantically, since that seems to be one of the deep-down things that each of them most wants. If Jon and Daenerys could join forces as kin instead of lovers, they'd be unstoppable.

7. Daenerys and Yara

You know you want it. We all want it. Just imagine this pair and the serious damage they could inflict, plus the general aura of Girl Power that would emanate from their every action. They would crush the Bechdel Test under their matching heeled boots.

8. The Sea Bitch of House Greyjoy

I'm pretty sure there's going to be at least one confused reader who clicks over here searching for a ranking of literal GoT ships, and so I tucked this one in here for you. This ship is not the coolest-looking or even close to the largest in the show, but I love it since Yara savagely made Theon captain of it to humiliate him. Later, Theon uses the ship to capture Winterfell, and ultimately this is what leads to…

9. Reek and Ramsay

Don't act like you didn't read clear sexual tension in every single interaction they had. Remember when Ramsay directed Reek onto his knees and we all thought we knew where that scene was going? Don't pretend, either, like you weren't fascinated despite yourself and secretly looked forward to any and all screen-time between Ramsay Snow and his Stockholm Syndrome boytoy Reek. … Unless that was just me, in which case, just kidding! This one was a joke, ha ha!

10. Bran and a literal three-eyed raven

At this point I think that's the best Bran can hope for, since he seems determined to creep everyone else out. Chaos is a ladder, Bran, and you are an unnerving little weirdo.

11. The Night King and Wight Hodor

It gets cold out there past the Wall, and no one likes to be lonely. The Night King can tenderly embrace Hodor to keep the metaphorical chill at bay, and Hodor can engage the Night King in gripping conversation. It's not like the Night King is particularly chatty, so Hodor's small talk will be right up his alley.

12. Gendry and Arya

SERIOUSLY THOUGH. This is the SINGLE ship that I am actually invested in, because just think about it. Arya has basically lost herself; if the recent episodes are to be believed and she's not just playing some weird long con, she's completely been consumed by the need for revenge. It's understandable that she's suspicious of Sansa's motives (and everyone's motives) but she no longer seems to feel anything but hatred and the need to kill. Her list has become her identity; she became a Faceless Man to exact revenge, and that seems to be all she's become.

Enter Gendry.

Gendry knew her in the wake of her trauma (her father's beheading) and was the last solid, comforting presence she had. She trusted him and was broken up when they were separated; I really think that if they can reconnect somehow, he can remind her of who she was back before she become a human weapon and reanimate the tender parts of her that have been dormant for so long. Dare I say he can make her happy again…?

It's true that girls don't need a man to be happy or whole, but while I'm a feminist I'm also a romantic and this isn't real life or a real person so please let me have this.